June Goals

Happy Monday friends! I'm sorry I've been MIA. I feel like I say that a LOT but I really have missed you guys and this sweet space of mine. These past few months have been a blur and I so much has occurred since I wrote my last review and goals post. To say I'm excited to catch y'all up would be an understatement. So I'll waste no time and cut to the chase.

April + May Recap

- Traveled to and played tourist in Chicago with Will. You can read my recap of our trip here.   - Updated my passport and have ALL of my documents updated with my new last name. If you are getting married, I used this resource to help guide me through the post-wedding name changing process!   - Backed up all files, documents and photos on my computer and got rid of a bunch of stuff that was no longer relevant or needed. I love all things related to organization to simplifying and checking this off my list was a relief.   - Visited Caitlin in Winston-Salem and had a much needed girls day together! We went to lunch at the cutest place called the Silo, did some window shopping, treated ourselves to ice cream and had our nails done. It was the perfect day and made me really like Winston-Salem. It's a small city but really cute and I can't wait to visit again and explore more places Cait finds!    - Spent an afternoon at the Whitewater Center with the hubs and our pup, Miller. We walked the blue (intermediate) trail, then had lunch on the patio at the River's Edge Bar & Grill which overlooks the river. Good food + great views = a win/win in my book.   - I got a new car! Long story short, while we were in Chicago, my car (which was parked on the street like everyone else who lives on our street) was hit by someone who backed into the front of it and tore off the driver side headlight and ruined the radiator. After a few weeks with a rental, it was determined that the cost for all of the repairs was more then the value of my car so they gave us what my car was worth and viola. I honestly can't complain one bit. Was it bad timing? Yes! But I'm thankful that no one was hurt, that my neighbor saw it happened and called us right away. He even took care of the police report for us. Nationwide was also really easy to work with and I can't say enough about my husband who has been supportive through the whole process!
   - Tried a new restaurant in Charlotte called Seoul Food (Korean inspired southern BBQ). If you live in the area you need to check this place out. Make sure you order the sweet potato birds nest and the bao buns! You'll thank me later I promise.    - Went to Charleston and Folly Beach to celebrate my friend Allison's bachelorette getaway. Tomorrow I'll review some of the places we went and places I highly recommend.

June    - Printing photos from our honeymoon was one goal I had for April but sadly never got around to doing. It won't likely be a priority of mine for June so I'll save this for another month!   - At the beginning of the year, I made it a goal to read six new books over the course of the year. To date, I've already finished six books and I'm halfway through reading You and Me Forever by Francis Chan and (Un)Qualified by Steven Furtick. This brings me to a total of eight books which means I've not only met my goal but I've surpassed it! Just because you meet a goal, does NOT mean you can't revamp it later. There is still a handful of months left to 2016 so I'm going to keep reading and next on the list is A Praying Life by David Powlison. What other books should I read? I'm looking for a fun summer read. If you have any recommendations please leave a comment!   - Join a bible study. Y'all I'm so excited about this one! Right at the end of last month, I reached out to a girl who leads an E-Group at Elevation Church and she was not only quick to respond but genuinely excited for me to check out her group. Meeting new people is not always easy, even when your an extrovert like me but something about her excitement made me excited and all my nerves melted away. I went to my first bible study, which led to me going to the next one, which has already led to new friendships being made. Y'all...Kenna is the REAL DEAL! She is the leader of a bible study (or E-Group as they all them at Elevation), the owner and hairstylist of New Steele Studio at Sola Salon, a photographer, does makeup, AND teaches classes for SkillPop in her free time. Can you say superwoman? She also has the sweetest soul and can make you laugh without even trying. I mean, #girlboss am I right?   - There are so many places in Charlotte we have yet to try and since Seoul Food was such a hit when we went, Will and I have decided to keep finding and trying out other restaurants. On the list is The Summit Room and Kid Cashew. We actually went to The Summit Room over the weekend and my friend and I split the burger, mac and cheese, and maple bruleed brussels. My mouth waters just thinking about that meal. Another must if you have the chance to check it out.   - In my last review and goals post, I opened up about having degenerative disc disease and how I went to Duke to get a second opinion from a Neurosurgeon there. Well, the appointment went great and I was given a lot of insight into my current condition and have decided to go through with surgery. Like really soon. Next Monday to be exact. A few friends have asked me about my condition, the surgery and what the outcome will be like so I've decided to write a post that will go live Thursday if your interested in learning more about this personal topic and decision. Prayers for a peace of mind would be so appreciated as the days leading up to the surgery draw near!     

Making it Happen

Make. It. Happen.   Three words I've been constantly repeating, especially when I'm having a hard time getting motivated to check items off my to-do list. Have you been there? One day I'll wake up feeling ready to see what the day will unfold, and confident I'll be able to do so gracefully. Then there are the days that I just struggle. The anxiety starts to build as soon as I start working on a task and then BOOM! I'm a hot mess. On one of these particular days when I was stressed and couldn't think straight, I decided to drop everything I was doing and ran over to my bookcase and picked up Make it Happen by Lara Casey. I already knew a lot about the author Lara from reading Southern Weddings Magazine for a number of years and admired her love for the Lord, her passion for the South and her joy for all things weddings. Without really knowing what the book was about, I decided to purchase it because I knew whatever Lara wrote about would be good. But y'all, I didn't know it would be as life changing as it was. It was challenging, an eye opener, and so good for my soul.   This was a book I could have finished in a couple of days it was THAT good. But the content was so rich and powerful that I didn't want to rush through any of it! Just like a conversation with a dear friend, I invested my time and full attention on every word, every question and every task. Without going into all the details of the book (I think you should really just go ahead and purchase it after you finish reading this post!), I thought I would share a few things I highlighted and found valuable.   - Doubt can turn into desperation.   - "There are no shortcuts to any place worth going" - Beverly Sills   - God's way isn't always easy, but it's always worth it.   - It's in the depths of our challenges, when we are left with what feels like nothing, that we sometimes see more clearly. I couldn't agree with this statement more. I've never gone longer then a couple of weeks without working until recently. Being unemployed is NOT fun. It's stressful, causes doubt and a whole slew of other things. But over the weeks I've been able to see more clearly all the blessings I have in my life.   - Making it happen is a life lived on purpose and comes by surrendering control.   - Done is better than perfect, and doing one thing well is better than doing a thousand mediocre things. Can I get an amen? I need to write this one down and put it on my fridge.   - Don't let your unhappiness make you ungrateful.   - You will learn from your failures than you will from any of your successes. Your failures are gifts, allowing you to learn, grow, redirect, and take new and potentially better paths.   - Making things happen is about taking positive, purpose-filled action. Learning how to break things down into action steps in an essential skill.   - When you know where you are leaping, the how doesn't matter as much as the why.   - Busy is the enemy of peace. It takes us away from our purpose. Busy is not truly productive in the big picture. Busy means life's joys and surprises can't find a way into our lives as easily because we move too fast to see and experience them.   - I will hold myself to a standard of grace, not perfection. No one is perfect. There is no such thing as the perfect life, the perfect home, the perfect job, or the perfect look. So if that's true, then why spend so much time trying to create something that's not possible?   Can you relate to any of the above? Which one is your favorite? If you've read the book, what other things did you take away? I hope y'all found this encouraging and have a great week!!

March Review + April Goals

March
- Went the month (minus two days) without soda. This was a success in my book! I'll be doing this again in June, September and December.   - Went to the Abundance Conference in Asheville with my dear friend Chelsea, and y'all, this conference was one of the best ones I've been too! So much truth was spoken through some amazing speakers at this two day event. One of my favorite parts besides getting to hear Lysa TerKeurst speak was getting to hear and sing along to some of my favorite worship songs lead by Natalie Grant and Christy Nockels. And if you haven't heard of Annie Downs or Lisa Harper you have GOT to look them up! These two are hilarious and know how to lighten the mood while having a deep conversation on tough topics. Insert #girlcrush!   - Planned a surprise birthday dinner for Will with the Mackvick's. The day I got back from the Abundance Conference, I had less then four hours to unpack, bake a cake and get ready. Will thought we were going to meet up with his dad and brother for dinner since they were in town but when we pulled into the parking lot, his whole family was there! It was fun seeing him completely surprised! - Celebrated Will's 27th birthday with private golf lessons and a visit to Sugar Creek Brewery!   - Got my third and final steroid neck injection. For those who may be new around here, I have degenerative disk disease in my C5-C6, C6-C7 regions and have tried anything and everything over the past eight years to find something to relive the pain. The neck issues have recently been worsening and have led to TMJ which just sucks. Unfortunately, the steroid injections haven't been working so we are going to reach out to a Neurosurgeon at Duke Hospital to get a second opinion on possible next steps which will likely be surgery or continued physical therapy. In the meantime, prayers would be appreciated!   - Finished reading Make It Happen by Lara Casey and wrote a blog post recapping my favorite parts that I'll be sharing next Tuesday!   April
- Go to the Alabama Shakes concert. I haven't listened to them that much but Will is a big fan of them. Even though I don't know a lot of the songs they play/sing, you won't find me saying no to quality time with my husband or being able to spend time outdoors!   - Visiting Chicago! Neither of us have been and are excited to explore a new city. Leave a comment below if you have any recommendations!   - Review bank accounts and set financial goals. We had planned to do this last month but didn't get around to it but are making it a priority this month.   - Print out photos from our honeymoon.   - Back up files and photos on my computer. I try to do this at least once a year but I can't tell you the last time I did this and it's way overdue. I wouldn't want to find myself in a situation where my computer dies and I lose everything saved to my Mac. Can't be too prepared these days!   - Update my passport. I've still yet to do this since Will and I got married and think I need to just go ahead and get the process over with. NO MORE EXCUSES!  

January Review + February Goals

Happy Monday and first day of "love" month friends! One month down, 11 more to go! I don't know about you but I'm sooo glad it's February. January was a good month and all, and I'm really enjoying 2016 so far, but the first month of a new year always tends to be a little bit of a challenge for me. You feel me?

I always make a list of all the things I want to accomplish, whether it be weekly, monthly, or yearly goals. Half way through January I found myself stressing out and forgetting to take things day by day. But this month I'm going to do a better job at reminding myself to "stop and smell the roses" so to speak. But like I said, January was good and I was able to check off a few of my goals I set for the year which was a win in my book!

January accomplishments:

Spend two + weekends visiting our parents (not including the holidays). My mom had knee surgery at the end of December so I decided to stay with my parents for a few days and keep mom company and helped with a few tasks around their house. Will wasn't able to come with since I went during the week, but I still counted this as time with family!

Reach out to my group of girlfriends on a weekly basis. I'm really proud of myself for this one. It might sound silly but I created a note in my phone that contains a list of my favorite people that I use as a reminder of who I need to reach out to regularly. Maintaining relationships is important to me and I often get caught up with all that's going on in my life. I wanted to do a better job this year at putting others first and this has been really helpful.

Clean out my closet and invest in essential items. I was able to clean out my closet and ended up with two boxes full of items I was able to sell and give to Goodwill. Next on my list is taking inventory of what I have left in my closet and then create a list of items I want to invest in. One thing I know I want, and is an essential item in my book, is a pair of nude pumps like these or these.

Develop a 30 minute morning quite time routine that I do everyday. Ehh, I tried to adopt this new routine but was not successful at doing it everyday like I wanted and I will tell you why. I have a hard time and get overwhelmed with myself when I try to utilize too many resources at once. There were so many things I wanted to incorporate into my quite time such as reading Jesus Calling, Join The Journey, and reading my First 5 and Joyce Meyer apps. This didn't work and I had to step away for a few days and re-evaluate my plan of action which is to focus on using just one or two of these. Any advice you can give would be so appreciated!

Find a CPA to help us with our taxes. We did some research and asked around for recommendations and scheduled a meeting with a CPA this week to see if they are a good fit for us.

Help Will pay off the rest of his student loans. I am proud to say we are DEBT FREE! Yay!

Take a SkillPop class and discover a new passion. Last week I took a class on Interior Design which was led by the amazingly talented Sarah Scott. I loved learning about top paint colors and what trends are in for 2016. I HIGHLY recommend taking a SkillPop class if your in the Charlotte area.

Read at least six new books. Last month, I read The Ten Best Days of My Life by Adena Halpern.

Take a weekend getaway to the Blue Ridge Mountains with Will's parent. Check! We stayed at Alpine Escape Cabin and had fun playing board games, enjoyed the snowy weather and exploring the downtown area.

Goals for February:

1. Host a game night at our house.

2. Back up all photos/documents/etc. on my laptop.

3. Increase my prayer life.

4. Try new plan for having quite time in the morning.

5. Pick a CPA and start working on our taxes.

6. NO SODA!

7. Meal-plan healthier lunch and dinner options.

8. Read Unglued by Lysa TerKeurst which I started a few days ago and I'm already hooked.

9. Start planning for our trip to Chicago. Let me know of places to go, things to do, etc.!  

What are your goals for the month?

Goals for 2016

Ah, 2016 is finally upon us! I don't know about you but I feel like 2015 went by so fast. In 2015 alone, I got engaged, Will and I moved, I gathered inspiration and planned for our wedding, we got married in June, honeymooned in St. Lucia, spent a long weekend in NYC, visited Brooklyn, and welcomed a precious little niece into the family to name a few highlights.

And although the start of a new year can be bittersweet, it's also a time to start afresh. To set new goals and try new things. In years past, I was one of those individuals who would set resolutions but always failed at keeping them. A lot of resolutions I came up with were just not "doable". For instance, why would I ever tell myself I would never, ever, EVER drink another soda again for the rest of my life? I mean...if I'm being realistic here...that's just crazy. I don't drink soda weekly, but every once-in-a-while I'll have one.

Now that I'm married, I've been thinking about traditions Will and I can implement, and setting goals for the coming year is one of them. On New Years Day, we woke up and enjoyed breakfast at one of my favorite breakfast spots; The Flying Biscuit. We don't go there all that often, so it made it feel extra special. Throughout the rest of our morning, we took time talking through what we wanted to accomplish for the year and weeded out goals we felt weren't realistic.

Nancy Ray wrote a blog post recently hat explained something worth putting into practice and it's this: "The most vital part of my goal setting process is simply this: set monthly goals. Let your yearly goals guide what you write. Break them down across the 12 months of the year, then implement them in 4-week time frames. That is the perfect amount of time to really accomplish some things".

So that's what we did! Below our the categories used with my personal goals for the year broken down for each. I thought of others, but wanted to make sure I was being realistic with what I felt I could accomplish in twelve months. And because this is my first time making a list of goals for the New Year, I didn't want to pressure myself by breaking everything out into months. However, I do plan to keep you guys updated each month on what I've accomplished!

Family/Friends

- Host four game nights at our house. We actually had our first game night over the weekend!
- Spend two + weekends visiting our parents (not including the holidays).
- Reach out to my group of girlfriends on a weekly basis. Communication is important to me.

Self

- Back up all photos/documents/etc. on all computers and devices twice throughout the year.
- Clean out my closet and invest in essential items. My motto these days is "quality over quantity".

Spiritual
- Attend an Abundance Conference.
- Increase my prayer life and pray out loud with Will more often.
- Develop a 30 minute morning quite time routine that I do everyday.

Financial
- Find a CPA to help us with our taxes.
- Go back over Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University course as a refresher.
- Review our bank accounts and finances at the end of each month.
- Help Will pay off the rest of his student loans.

Physical/Lifestyle
- Attend classes at the YMCA twice a week and walk for 30 minutes three times a week.
- Go one month every quarter with no soda.
- Meal-plan healthier lunch and dinner options with Will every Sunday.

Marriage
- Celebrate our one year wedding anniversary in June!!
- Complete The One Year Love Language Devotional with Will.

Intellectual
- Take a SkillPop class and discover a new passion.
- Read at least six new books. The one's currently on my list include:

1. The Ten Best Days of My Life by Adena Halpern
2. The Artist's Daughter: A Memoir by Alexandra Kuykendall
3. Make it Happen by Lara Casey
4. Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen
5. Beautiful Days by Anna Godbersen 
6. The Lucky Ones by Anna Godbersen
7. Unglued by Lysa TerKeurst
8. What You Do Best in the Body of Christ by Bruce Bugbee
9. The Best Yes by Lysa Terkeurst
10. You and Me by Francis and Lisa Chan

Travel

- Take a weekend getaway to the Blue Ridge Mountains with Will's parent.

- Explore four new cities: Chicago, Atlanta, Boston and somewhere in Florida.

What goals or resolutions do you have for 2016? I'd love to hear what you have in mind!